Thursday, April 8, 2010

Can you get....?

Our girls at The Candy Store hear it all. From the completely common to the elusive and rare, we are asked all the time if we can get such-and-such candy or if they still make so-and-so bar. We love hearing about what people remember and those little bites of their past that struck enough of a chord to have them yearning for these special treats all these long years later. There isn't a day that goes by where someone isn't surprised at seeing something on our shelves and shares a memory or two related to candy. Many of the candies and sweets from our collective past have become the touchstones for some of our fondest memories.

As a child born at the edge of the '80s, my own "gone but not forgotten" candy is Bonkers. For those born any time after 1985 Bonkers were the (better, in my opinion) predecesor to Starburst only they had a cubed two-tone look about them and a softer texture. I don't remember the commericals - we only had a half dozen channels at that time, but YouTube is full of them. Bonkers were my treat of choice at the Uxbridge Pool after swimming lessons (Tadpole level, thank you very much - far more interesting than the colour system). Bonkers, in fact, are the basis for on of my earliest childhood memories. The vending machine in the lobby of the pool building didn't always have grape in stock and that was my favourite flavour. I still recall the bitter sting of having to choose watermelon one day in lieu of grape. Within the year we'd moved from Uxbridge to Oshawa. I never saw that machine again and not long after Bonkers were gone for good. It was only this past week when the salt water taffy came in (yeah!) that I had a piece of grape taffy and realised how eerily close to Bonkers that candy could be - I'm sure if I were to close my eyes and eat that taffy near a bucket of chlorine (not recommended), it would be just as I remember!

Image courtesy of ffffound

So what about that candy you miss?? Well, many special treats have made their way to the big vending machine in the sky and we're sad to say that we don't know when that coil will spin again bringing them back to us. We have decided to compile a little list, available as a Note on our Facebook Page to help keep track of those items that are gone and their meagre (but sometimes if you shut your eyes they work) substitutes. Book mark this one - we're sure to keep adding as we catch wind of the next disappearance in the candy world!

Got a memory related to candy? We'd love to know - share your memory with us and we could feature you in an upcoming blog post!

Think pink and do something sweet!

It gets even better: between now and June 4th, all the proceeds from the sale of cotton candy will be donated to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation! Everyone gets something sweet: you get a treat and they get a step closer to finding a cure.

We look forward to helping to make a difference!To learn more about women's cancers, please visit the Official Weekend to End Women's Cancers website.